Olive oil - Essential for the Mediterranean diet

Olive oil is a fundamental pillar of Mediterranean cuisines. Its farming began in Palestine, and from there olive trees, as we know them today, traveled North to Anatolia, and South, to Egypt and Crete.

A traditional Mediterranean diet is unthinkable without consuming olive oil every single day, in cooked dishes or in its raw form.

I grew up in Catalonia eating pa amb tomàquet every day, bread with rubbed tomato and lots of drizzled oil. On Mallorca, where I live now, you can also get pa amb oli, bread topped with olive oil in bistros and cafes.

On the smallest Balearic island of Formentera, traditional bakers still sell rolls soaked in extra virgin olive oil every morning. It's the first thing I do when I travel to the small island of Formentera. Eating that fresh baker's roll with lots of extra virgin olive oil and nothing else on top has a quality of authentic simplicity.

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